Jump, Jive and Java

A few folks short of a flash mob but in much the same spirit, Coffeehouse Dances are choreographer Keith Glassman's roving dance events: part spontaneous, part planned hourlong performances that erupt in independent coffeehouses. The target sites are announced ahead of time, but as with flash mobs, most of the delighted audience just happens to be sipping their lattes when the dancing begins. Glassman's past efforts include solos and duets that dancers can perform in the often limited space. This time, the series pays homage to the original midcentury coffeehouse scene with postmodern dancer Klyda Mahoney and Glassman backed by musician Charles Sharp. At each venue, they're joined by a poet -- Santa Perversa, Gloria Enedina Alvarez and Douglas Kearney -- to explore just what can go down when a poet, a musician and a dancer walk into a coffeehouse. The coffee isn't free but the shows are, thanks to funding from the L.A. City Department of Cultural Affairs and the L.A. County Arts Commission. Kaldi Coffee, 3147 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village; Fri., May 31, 6 p.m.; free. Also at Sabor y Cultura, 5625 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.; Sat., June 1, 8 p.m.; and Bourbon Street Cafe, 698 S. Vermont, Koreatown; Fri., June 7, 8 p.m. keithglassman.org.
Fri., May 31, 6 p.m., 2013